Nairobi — Anglican Bishop Horace Etemesi let out a worst kept secret in an outward-looking church, whose hierarchy is gagged by stringent protocol.

His was a double-edged sword that struck like a thunderbolt at what is regarded as the conscience of the nation. The Right Reverend let it be known that some of his clergy were poor and worse still, morally corruptible.

He put the modern priesthood on the spot and by laying bare the skeleton in its closet, scandalised the majority, perhaps neglectful, church followers.

Besides robberies - such as the recent heist at Nairobi's All Saints Cathedral - cases of theft involving priests are hushed up. Churches prefer dealing with them internally for fear of the negative implication on the image of the clergy.

But the plain-speaking Etemesi could not exercise restraint when one of his clergy pocketed Sh1,500 from church offerings. The offending priest had to be punished.

Priests, especially in rural areas, are rarely paid on time and their salaries are tied to the congregations' donations and offerings. Those who pastor impoverished parishioners have to rue in want and forego the fineries of life.

A source in the Anglican Church revealed that owing to the vicissitudes of church earnings, some priests have to go without pay for months. When funds are finally got, the salaries are paid out in order of seniority - from the bishop to the lay priest, the lowest ranked in the church hierarchy.

Temptations to embezzle are great given that the priests, in most cases, double up as custodians of the offerings.

Church collections are normally counted at their offices. Inquiries yesterday revealed that some dioceses have given a free-hand to priests to deduct their salaries directly from the church offerings. "There is a particular quota reserved for the diocesan office, the rest is entitlement to the priest," said the source.

Bishop Etemesi unmasked the impropriety in the church priesthood when he revealed that some of the priests were corrupt and ought to be made to account for their wealth.